This page contains affiliate links. Read our complete disclosure here.
Many people have family traditions over the 4th of July. Some people enjoy crowds of people at a fireworks show preceded by a day of grilling, beer drinking, a parade, and a bonfire surrounded by family/friends. While this is enjoyable and we love a good beer around a campfire with loved company, we started developing a little tradition of our own that takes us to what we love: an adventure outdoors.
We spent 5 days in the Porcupine Mountains in the UP of Michigan this past Independence Day. We visited this area two years ago on the same holiday and had a great time camping on Lake Superior for the duration of our trip. This time, we mostly explored the interior of the “Porkies” with some exterior camping on the lake as well. With plenty of elevation change, overlooks, and a gusty wind blowing on the top of Escarpment Trail, it was an experience full of lessons.
First, let me say, it cannot be stressed enough to STAY HYDRATED while on the trail. As we were prepping for our hike at the trailhead, a park ranger was hauling coolers of water around in his truck to keep people hydrated. While it’s great that they bring water out for hikers, it is a hiker’s responsibility to bring their own water on the trail. We noticed some people hiking with very little or NO water on the trails. We were shocked since it was in the 90s with high humidity. I love the ease of using a Camelback reservoir while on the trail. It fits in a backpack with a hose extending out so you keep your hands free from carrying a water bottle.
Our hike began with some steep elevation gain from the trailhead but eventually leveled out to a relatively flat trail for a good portion of the hike. As we began our hike on Government Peak Trail, it down poured on us 20 minutes into the hike. This was actually a blessing because it was 90 degrees and we were dripping sweat. Even though the rain got us wet, the temperature significantly cooled to our relief.
Hiking in the slippery mud became a challenge, especially when we had to go over rocks, logs, and large areas of mud. We were able to hike when it was a steady rain but during the steep downpour, we decided to stand under the cover of some tree branches and wait it out a bit because it became hard to see in the pouring rain. There must have been a handful of fair weather hikers in the Porkies because besides just two other hikers we passed in the rain, we had the trail all to ourselves that whole afternoon. At about mile 4 out of the 5-mile hike, it began to clear up and we were dripping sweat again. We also needed to put on our mosquito netting once that sun came out, the mosquitoes were biting in full force after the storm. We highly recommend the Sea to Summit bug netting if you plan on camping anytime in July. Your hands will be available for more important tasks at camp instead of swatting bugs away, plus it’s the latest fashion trend in the backcountry!
We base camped for nights 1 & 2 on Government Peak Trail at campsite number 3. The campsite was right off the trail, which is a disadvantage if you like to be secluded. The good part was that it’s far enough down the trail that not many hikers went by when we were there. We also spend most of the day away from the campsite exploring other sections of the trail. There were no pictures of the campsites on the Michigan DNR website, so we booked based on descriptions, which still always ends up being a toss-up. After seeing the campsites on top of Government Peak, we decided we would stay at one of those next time. They had better scenery and one of them was a ways off the trail, offering more seclusion from other hikers.
The closest water source was the headwaters of Big Carp River, but unfortunately, it was not the cleanest drinking water. It was near a beaver dam and had recently flooded so lots of debris was in the water. We took our chances and filtered some for the night, but the next day we hiked further down the trail for cleaner water.
The next best water source for us was a 2.5-mile hike from our campsite at Trap Falls. Lots of day hikers came through to see the small falls while we were there, but it’s a nice day hike and a good way to spend part of your day hanging and taking a dip in Trap Falls.
Although the campsite wasn’t our favorite because of the location and far from Lake Superior, we still made the most of our time by eating delicious campfire meals and making it our home for a couple of days. Here is a look at one of our favorite meals from this trip, campfire pizza made with naan bread.
On day 3, we packed up camp early and were on the trail by 6:30 AM. We packed some equipment up the night before and we didn’t make any breakfast that morning to make for an easy camp clean up. Before our trip to the Porkies, I prepped peanut butter tortilla wraps which makes for the perfect breakfast while on the move. I recommend wrapping them in wax paper, so you can later use the wax paper as fire starter and minimize the trash you need to pack out.
Getting an early start was ideal because the heat got into the high 90s in the early afternoon. We had 10.5 miles to hike that day to our campsite on Lake Superior. The toughest part of the hike was just after the halfway point, which is about a 1,000-foot climb that connected the Government Peak Trail to Lake of the Clouds.
I’ve read many memoirs, blogs, and articles about the thru-hiker experience. We aren’t “thru-hikers” (yet!) but we have felt some of the emotional ups and downs that many thru-hikers experience on their trail journeys. I felt the extreme “low” while we were on mile 8.5. With feet swollen, stomach grumbling, and a beef jerky and cheese break needed, I rolled onto a large boulder for a rest. Andy and Daisy prefer to hike fast and are usually ahead of me on the trail. While resting, Andy said to me, “Let me know when you’re ready.” While Andy would much rather keep hiking and just get to the destination, it’s important to keep tabs with your hiking partner while on the trail. Hiking in pairs keeps me motivated and helps keeps each other in check. Taking those rest moments on the trail is a reminder of the natural beauty you are in. Simply just being is enough while you are out there, and that’s a lesson to bring back home too. Humans need to JUST BE sometimes instead of rushing to the next thing, the next plans, the next destination.
We took the practice of “just being” the remainder of the day after a 10.5-mile hike. Swaying in our hammock at our Lake Superior campsite after a long hike was my favorite day of this journey. The cool air rolling off the lake and creating a brisk breeze in the sunshine; it was the perfect spot to JUST BE.
Daisy enjoyed being unleashed at this campsite, as it’s plenty far off the trail. There was even a little nook someone had built where Daisy liked to hang out in. We enjoyed the stone couches and tables around the campfire. I was fully impressed by the time people put into “domesticating” this campsite! Campsite #17 on Lake Superior is a must visit for this experience.
While we wish we had camped at Lake Superior another night, we had reservations for a campsite on Escarpment Trail. We had an 8-mile hike from Lake Superior to our Escarpment Trail campsite for our last night in this beautiful wilderness.
After the hike out of Superior Trail, we had to hike down Hwy 107 for about 2 miles to connect back up with the trailhead of Government Peak Trail (where our car was parked) which connected us to Escarpment Trail. From there it was only a 1.5-mile hike up to our campsite, but it was nearly all uphill! This meant about 45 minutes of huffing and puffing, quads burning, and knees shaking, but it finally leveled out for the final 15 minutes to our campsite. When we got to our campsite, we both grew with excitement! The view was picturesque with the Big Carp River to our left and Lake of the Clouds to our right. When we began to set up our tent, our smiles started to diminish as the wind began to blow hard. I set up our tent in the Boundary Waters with rough winds, but the gusts coming straight up the side of the mountain and finally reaching our campsite at the top made it much more challenging. It took about 20 minutes (typically 5 minutes for one person to set up) but eventually, we got the tent set up and staked down. Luckily we were able to get hour by hour weather reports with our Garmin In Reach and there were no storms forecasted for the night, so we were safe to camp there. With some worry in my gut, I fell asleep to the sounds of gusting winds through the trees. The wind sounds scarier than it is and after the windy experience, that’s one lesson sticking with me forever. The wind didn’t stop the entire night. We were surprised no branches or trees fell overnight from winds.
At least we had a delicious gourmet dinner and dessert to enjoy in the wind that evening! We don’t purchase these often (sometimes we are the lucky winners at Midwest Mountaineering’s pint nights) but they are delicious, healthy, and full of the nutrients you need in the backcountry. I’d recommenced trying Backpacker Pantry Three Sister’s Stew or Trailtopia Triple Berry Crisp if you want to treat yourself to a good freeze-dried meal option on the trail.
That about sums up our adventure in the Porcupine Mountains. We hope you enjoyed some adventures this summer! It’s going too quick and before we know it, we will be hiking in the breathtaking views of Minnesota’s glorious fall season again. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for an upcoming video of this entire trip and other adventures!
Peace, love, and hike thru life!
Sarah, Andy, and Daisy